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U.S. Officials Label Terrorist Video As "Disinformation"

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2005  U.S. military officials in Iraq today labeled a video as "disinformation" that was posted to a terrorist Web site and aired by some media showing the roadside bomb attack that killed 10 U.S. Marines on Dec. 1.

U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, and Iraqi firefighters from the Rusafa Fire Station in eastern Baghdad watch as unexploded ordnance is inventoried prior to its destruction Dec. 1.
U.S. Army photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image)

"The circumstances of the IED attack near Fallujah do not match those shown on the video," they added in a statement. The videos authenticity has not been determined, but "the statement claiming that the video shows the Dec. 1 attack near Fallujah is false," the officials said.

In other news, Army and Air Force units teamed up to crush a terrorist attack against an Army patrol near Balad, Iraq on Dec. 3. The attack began with a hail of small-arms fire directed at the patrol. The soldiers quickly located and engaged the gunmen, forcing them to take cover.

The patrol called for close-air support from two Air Force F-16 fighter jets, which responded by dropping laser-guided bombs. Two terrorists were killed in the short engagement.

One soldier was treated at the scene for minor injuries and returned to duty. In a Kifl neighborhood, an Iraqi police explosives disposal team discovered a weapons cache Dec. 3 that included 143 122 mm mortar and seven 155 mm artillery rounds.

The materials were turned over to authorities to be destroyed later.

Three incidents Dec. 2 resulted in the wounding of an Iraqi police officer and the detention of 13 terrorist suspects.

In Samarra, Iraqi police officers on a patrol were attacked by two men. The officers, backed up by police commandos, secured the area and engaged the two men.

The police said the attackers used AK-47 assault rifles and left in a white Toyota pickup truck.

Two individuals were later stopped and apprehended at an Iraqi army checkpoint driving a white Toyota truck.

The soldiers at the checkpoint searched the vehicle and found two AK-47s with cartridge cases littering the floorboard. They reported the weapons were hot to the touch and smelled of gunpowder.

Later, two other insurgents were apprehended at the same checkpoint for having weapons in their vehicle. These individuals are also believed to have participated in the attack.

The wounded officer was shot twice in the left shoulder and once in the head. The bullet ricocheted off the officer's forehead and went through his left ear. Medics at the scene said the officer should make a full recovery.

In Fallujah, Iraqi army troops and coalition forces detained three men and seized their weapons after the men attempted to gain access to the city.

Iraqi soldiers stopped and searched the suspects' vehicle when they noticed the license plate and vehicle name were blacked out. They soldiers found two AK-47s, one sniper rifle, three magazines, several loose 7.62 mm rounds and a CD containing anti-coalition propaganda.

In Siniyah, six terror suspects were detained Dec. 2 after a concerned resident informed police about a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device being built nearby.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team conducted a raid on the site and searched the suspects' vehicle.

Two AK-47s, a sniper rifle, bomb-making materials and $5,300 in U.S. currency were seized.

Two of the six suspects tested positive for explosives residue, though no explosives were found at the site.

In a separate action near Balad, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team detained five terrorist suspects Dec. 3.

The suspects were spotted using burning gas to soften the asphalt so an IED could be placed in the roadbed. The same day near the eastern city of Sadiyah, another terrorist was killed when the IED he was attempting to place detonated prematurely.

In eastern Baghdad, Iraqi firefighters from the Rusafa Fire Station turned over more than 200 rounds of unexploded ordnance to elements of Task Force Baghdad for destruction Dec. 1.

The firefighters gave 65 artillery rounds and 143 mortar rounds to members of the 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery.

This cooperation is a continuing effort between the leadership of the Rusafa Fire Station and the artillery battalion to rid the area of unexploded ordnance and deny terrorists potential bomb-making material.

"On Nov. 3, we secured a slightly smaller, but still significant, load of munitions in the same location. I am glad to be working with the firefighters here to make the community safer for everyone especially the children who like to play in areas where much of the unexploded ordnance still remains," said Maj. Jay Sawyer, the unit's operations officer.

"The most exciting aspect to me is that the Iraqi citizens provide the Iraqi security forces and fire departments with the location of unexploded ordnance they find in their neighborhoods," Sawyer added. "The people want their communities safer and they look to the Iraqi government to provide that safety."